The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee received dignitaries attending the 3rd India Africa Forum Summit at Rashtrapati Bhavan today (October 29, 2015) and hosted a banquet in their honour accompanied by a cultural programme.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said India and Africa understand each other because our lands are the very definition of diversity. Be it physical diversity - from the snows of Kilimanjaro to the deep Sahara - or the multiplicity of religions, ethnicities, tribes, languages, dialects, and cultures. Africa has it all. So indeed does India. For Africa and India, diversity is our lifeblood; it enriches us and makes us even stronger. It ensures that we value coexistence, dialogue, mutual understanding and peace. These are perspectives on the human development that India and Africa share, these are perspectives that we can together contribute to the rest of the world for handling conflicts and crises.

The President said the Summit is a demonstration of the importance India attaches to its relations with Africa. The active participation of all countries of Africa at this Forum reflects the desire of member countries to build an enduring partnership between our nations and our peoples. He expressed confidence that the fashioning of a collective vision for the future of our people will be critical in defining the direction and contours of our political and economic engagement. Given that India and Africa are home to a third of the world's population, this engagement is certain to have an impact on the future of sustainable development of the world.

This Press Release issued at 2300 hrs.